A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee

A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee (eBook)
Released: October 5, 2009 
ISBN13: 9781458152305

4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:
Melinda Lightfoot, a preschool teacher with an unusual ability to flit in and out of fairy tales, never thought she would get into trouble...
...until the Fairy Tale Police arrest her while she is in Beauty and the Beast. They offer her a deal: Find Beauty, who left the story when Melinda trespassed into it, or be charged with the ultimate crime -- Fairy Tale Killer. If that's not bad enough the Beast tags along in search of his true love, and Melinda starts falling for the fairy tale prince. She must choose between doing the right thing and having her own happily ever after.
Warning: This title contains the following: Fairy Godmother, the Wicked Witch, dysfunctional fairy tale families, ax-wielding executioners and a happily ever after (or two).

This is such a lovely little novella! It's a very quick read (the PDF copy I received was only 60 pages), but reads just like a modern-day fairytale filled with quirks and witty lines.

Keeping in mind that this reads like a fairytale, expect it to move at the pace of a fairytale as well. Melinda falls in love very quickly (but really, compare that to any other fairytale and it's about the average length of time to fall in love). Normally this would be a complaint of mine with the book, but I have no problem enjoying fairytales where the hero and heroine fall for each other quickly and so I don't hold it against this novella either.

My favourite part of the book is how they try to break down the ideal of a "happily ever after". It questions exactly what "ever after" means and how does one achieve their ever after "happily"? I believe this would be the basic  moral of the story, and it's refreshing to see this idea, which is often taken for granted, challenged here yet still put in a positive light.
I've read reviews comparing this to Shrek, and they do have a similar feel. I really think Lee's world would be a fun fairytale world to explore in other books as well, but this is a grea tlittle taste for now.